Polsky Policy Fellow, 2026; COP30 Student Delegate; India Summer Fellow, 2025; Polsky Research Fellow, Summer 2025; Climate Case Competition Finalist, 2025 (Team Photosynthisquad)
Rudra Patel is an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, majoring in Economics and Data Science with a minor in Chemistry. He is passionate about data-driven research, particularly in the areas of energy, sustainability, and environmental policy. On campus, he is an active member of the Phoenix Sustainability Initiative, where he works with a team to promote sustainable practices, and the Environmental Research Group, with whom he co-authored a paper on optimal transport in Chicago. He also has a strong personal interest in animal conservation and recently completed an internship with the Illinois Environmental Council, where he assessed the impact of conservation legislation in the Chicago area.
Patel attended COP30 in November 2025 as part of the Institute’s student delegation.
“The coolest experience for me at COP30 was learning about the different applications of data/computer science to the field of climate change. Applications such as tracking soil pH levels, testing carbon sink properties of the Amazon, using UV rays to map ocean bed, and using AI to track discrepancies in river flows, were all studies that needed high quality data to understand and implement relevant policy. Furthermore, seeing negotiations about the Loss and Damage Fund, I gained insight into the complex issue of responsibility/accountability of carbon emissions, especially since climate change disproportionately affected the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).”
In Summer 2025, Patel served as a Polsky Research Fellow with Professor Liz Moyer, contributing to Mapping the Energy Use of the USA. He focused on cleaning and organising data from the Energy Institute of America (EIA) on fossil fuel power plants. The work included separating and classifying power plants based on what fuel they burn, finding location data for each power plant and then making a comprehensive dataset that can be used to make a sankey plot later on.
“This was a great fellowship to get hands on experience with energy research and learn about the history of energy in the USA! Working with datasets with 10000+ rows, I learnt the difficulties when it comes to cleaning and making sure data is correct. Specifically with location finding, I learnt how to use public datasets and geopython to aid my work. Another cool learning this summer was to cross check my work using scatter plots and validation checks with my coworkers which is a skill that will help me further in my career.”
In July 2025, Patel traveled to Delhi and Ahmedabad for the India Summer Fellows program.
“This program was one that covered so many various topics of the climate challenge from air pollution to bees, flooding to wastewater management. I found it really exciting to meet small startups and big research foundations that all focus on a common challenge, looking at it from different perspectives. From reusing wasted ceramic products to changing mindsets in India to accepting second hand clothes, this experience taught me the multidimensional world of climate action!”
Patel was also a finalist in the 2025 Climate Case Competition.
“I did not know agrivoltaics existed… When you see a project like this, you go into the weeds of it, which is what we did. You find so many small, niche things, like, a small change in latitude can change so much. It’s very cool to see the intricate nature of these kinds of places.”